She battled the Goblin King in Labyrinth, took out Nazis in The Rocketeer, had her mind wiped in Dark City and now she is going to be taking on Alita. Hollywood’s forthcoming adaptation of the hit Manga and Anime, Battle Angel Alita (Known as Gunnm (銃夢) in Japanese) has cast Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly (Requiem For A Dream, A Beautiful Mind, and Hulk) in the role of an as yet unnamed villain.

Connelly is just another in a string of high-profile actors that have been brought onto the project set for release in 2018. With her star power and unbelievable talent, things are looking very good for an adaptation many fans were concerned about.

Manga and Anime adaptations have never gone over very well in Hollywood. The upcoming adaptation of Ghost in the Shell starring Scarlett Johansen looks promising and that may pave the way for a slew of successful adaptations moving forward. Connelly is joining an already star-studded cast to include Rosa Salazar (Epic, Night Owls, and Insurgent), Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained, Spectre, and Carnage), Jackie Earl Haley (Watchmen, Little Children, and The Dark Tower), Ed Skrein (Deadpool, Ill Manors, and The Model), Elza Gonzales (Ithaca, Amoriph, and Public Affairs), Lana Condor (X-Men: Apocalypse, High School Lover, and Patriot’s Day), Leonard Wu (Marco Polo, Bones, and We Are Fathers), and Mahershala Ali (Luke Cage, House of Cards, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).

The official synopsis for the film follows:

Set in the 26th century, Alita: Battle Angel tells the story of Alita, an amnesiac female cyborg who is rescued from a scrapyard by Dyson. The rebuilt Alita, remembering only her training in a deadly martial art, becomes a hunter-warrior, tracking down and eliminating vicious criminals. Within the context of an epic action-adventure, the film aims to explore a young woman’s journey of self-discovery and finding love.

Alita: Battle Angel was in development hell for well over a decade and was the pet project of the legendary James Cameron (Aliens, Terminator 2, and Avatar) who had to turn it over to Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, Spy Kids, and Sin City) due to Cameron’s current work on the Avatar sequels. The film is being adapted from Cameron’s screenplay with the assistance of Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island, Terminator Genisys, and Alexander). Alita: Battle Angel is set for release on July 20th, 2018 and is being developed by Lightstorm Entertainment and released by 20th Century FoxEntertainment.

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